26th July 2020

It is vitally important for a brand’s credibility that all of the product information provided is accurate, clear and trustworthy. Chris Ashworth, founder of Competitive Advantage, explains why and highlights some common errors.

One of the outcomes of the lockdown has been the increased adoption of digitisation as desk-based roles have become home based. In the construction sector BIM and The Cloud have been great enabler of this, allowing project teams to collaborate.

Another driver for change is Building a Safer Future and the Building Safety Bill which came out of the Hackitt Review. This requires that details of a building’s design and construction, including any changes, must be digitally recorded and passed along the chain of responsibility, known as the golden thread. While the focus of the new regulations is on the correct design and installation of fire safety measures, we can expect that the same practices will be applied to all aspects of a building’s design.

All of this means there will be higher levels of accountability with greater traceability and manufacturers must ensure that the product information they provide is accurate. To ensure this happens, the Construction Products Association set up the Marketing Integrity working group, their draft consultation is expected to be issued in the Autumn. It is likely to set out processes to ensure that manufacturers provide accurate information and quite possibly some form of certification to ensure those providing advice to designers and specifiers have proven levels of product knowledge.

Sadly, Competitive Advantage’s experience when reviewing product specifications and CPD seminars shows that there are frequently inconsistencies in the technical data provided. Mostly these are not major errors, but any mistake is a cause for concern. If identified by the specifier it is going to undermine their trust and confidence in that Brand which may take years to correct.

It is thus important for the marketing and technical teams to ensure the integrity of the data they present. The errors we most regularly encounter are:

CPD seminars quoting out of date regulations.
Downloadable copies of product test certificates which have expired.
Primary products listed in capability documents and product directories which are not the same as those available on websites for download as product specifications or BIM objects.
Incomplete or missing information, typically relating to Sustainability or Health & Safety.

Very often these errors occur because marketing personnel have changed and the new person is not aware of all of the locations for the product data when updating. Or different people have responsibility for the website, technical seminars and product literature.

Increasingly specifiers are able to use digital tools to compare competing products and this will often highlight errors. Furthermore, when two products are very similar it could be the small difference that will decide which product is selected.

So, as you plan your marketing activities for the remainder of 2020, remember to ensure that all of your marketing collateral is clear and trustworthy. The impression the decision maker gets while working from home, without the benefits of a sales pitch from the manufacturer’s representative, will be increasingly dependent on the first impression they gain from their digital searches.

Competitive Advantage can review your marketing collateral such as websites, product literature, product specifications and CPD seminars identifying inconsistencies and making recommendations to improve their impact.